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Set against the complex backdrop of a 1970s Afghanistan in upheaval and later 1980’s Los Angeles, the story – narrated by an adult Amir who jumps in and out of the action – is of two young boys Amir and Hassan whose friendship is complicated by racial inequality and servitude.
The boys are united through kite running competitions but a nasty incident and an act of cowardice tear the two apart.
Wide in scope, heavy in emotion: The Kite Runner’s story is where its strengths lie but with Khaled Hosseini’s bestselling book and the film already available is this the best medium for it? The Kite Runner suffers in translation from text to stage due to its reliance on narration. The story is arguably too unwieldy to be dealt with in any other way but this is a story of human relationships and powerful emotions and too often I wanted to be shown instead of told. As a result the stage regularly appeared empty, lacking dynamism and I felt distanced from a story that had the potential to wrestle me to the ground.
Credit to Ben Turner though, who was present on stage through the whole piece, switching as he does between the narrative voice and on-stage persona of Amir. Sadly though, I was never blown away; his American accent jarred and when playing the younger Amir I felt he went too young for the role, verging on childish caricature. Turner performed competently but never quite gripped. The supporting cast impressed though, including Farshid Rokey playing the childhood friend Hassan. Rokey again played it too young but was more convincing and I believed his unwavering loyalty. Emilio Doorgasingh as the father doesn’t quite fit the role of domineering patriarch in stature and voice but I felt his conflicted emotions and his frustration and he won my affection. Special mention goes to the on stage percussion – a nice touch that added a layer of energy to the performance and it seemed to me that as the curtain fell it was the percussionist that enjoyed the loudest applause.
Simple but effective set design – minimal props and projection – allowed for quick and efficient set changes that let the story flow. The animated hand drawings of childhood and misshapen comic book skyline of Los Angeles added a sense of magic and warmth to what was often a heavy story.
If this is the Playhouse’s centre-piece for the coming season then ultimately I was a little disappointed. It didn’t drag but it didn’t grab. Its strength is in its source material and this was source material I was familiar with; on stage I was hoping for something a little different, a little more dynamic.
The Kite Runner is on until the 18th of May.
Book here:http://www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/whats-on/drama/the-kite-runner
As the scene unfolds they have to pretend to be mannequins in the shop window as the Police have turned up, which is an hilarious scene and just the start of this fantastically funny book.
Grant & Chase are partners in life as well as crime, and when the offer of a well paid job comes along they can’t turn it down; even if it is from hustler Jamie Brock.
Austin Peebles is an adorable democratic congressional candidate who has sexted a rude photo of himself that has found it’s way into the hands of June Forteene a rightwing blogger.
Grant & Chase’s job is simple: steal the photo (as well as any copies) off June before she exposes it on her blog and ruins Austin’s political prospects. They complete the job; but enraged June soon posts a cropped version of the rude photo along with an ultimatum: the unnamed political candidate must withdraw himself as a candidate and provide her with compensation. Austin’s campaign manager Kevin Wunder refuses to pay Grant & Chase as they haven’t have completed their job correctly.
Grant & Chase are convinced that they completed their job and that there’s something more going on. So they hatch a plan, recruit a team and set about making everything right. Along the way we get to know grumpy Grant and likeable Chase. Both characters were multifaceted like real people and the use of description by Byrnes gave a strong sense of the different characters.
Byrnes used a number of close calls and twists to weave a fascinating plot that is perfectly paced. He used his unique writing style to engage the reader and packed the story full of funny, believable and entertaining scenes. Byrnes got the balance between showing and telling the story spot on for the reader. Strange Bedfellows had a satisfying conclusion that will leave the reader wistful for another of Byrnes‘ stories.
What let’s Strange Bedfellows down was it’s cover. The topless man gives a misleading impression, as does the image of the Whitehouse. The topless man is like none of the characters described in the book; and implies some sexual scenes of which there were none. The Whitehouse gives the impression of a political story; but even non-Americans will fully understand the story as Byrnes explained what the reader needs to know and besides the story isn’t really about politics.
Please don’t be put off by the cover, Strange Bedfellows by Rob Byrnes is a captivating read that will have you craving more of Rob Byrnes stories.
Available from Amazon
In the first piece, Los Feliz, performed intensely but very well by Robin Holden, a young man falls in love with a beautiful woman and concocts an entirely fictional life in order to get close to her. As he weaves his tale, the initially unlikeable character reveals his insecurities and gradually draws the audience closer to him. Holden commands the stage extremely well and holds the audience’s attention throughout; something that is inherently difficult in a monologue.
Ben and Joe’s is a look into the lives of a group of mostly middle-aged men who while away their afternoons in a San Fernando Valley bar, united in their lust for the young barman who flirts expertly with each of them. A new arrival, Christopher, shakes their easy existence and causes a rift between the men as each of them is forced to confront their own prejudices. This difficult subject is delivered expertly by John Vernon who held the audience captivated throughout his performance.
Finally, the evergreen treat that is Carolyn Listerbrought an instant warmth and dose of humour to Sunset with her portrayal of a grandmother reminiscing to her husband on the long life they have shared together, with its succession of highs and lows. On the surface, her story is one of a very traditional marriage, but this is soon revealed to be a somewhat thin veneer as this apparently timid character reveals a strength and resilience initially unseen.
Californian Lives is no light-hearted feel-good piece, and not one for the faint-hearted. It is, however, exactly the kind of emotionally-charged and thought-provoking theatre that we need to see more of in this age of Disney-esque expectations.
Californian Lives plays at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington on Sundays and Mondays until 26 May. Tickets £11.50 – £20 from the King’s Head website.
Nestling in the ample bosom of the picturesque Dales, the Wensleydale Heifer is admittedly off the beaten path, situated in the tiny village of West Witton, but it’s well worth the drive to experience what is one of the finest dining experiences my partner and I have had in a long time.
The hotel itself comprises a number of themed bedrooms all playfully but tastefully decorated. We had the Whiskey Room for our night’s stay, which was pleasantly warm and inviting, incorporating distillery memorabilia around the walls with tartans and a wee dram of complimentary whiskey which greeted us on arrival (not a great whiskey fan I instead devoured the marvellous complimentary home made cookie and pondered what delights the people in the next door Chocolate Room were enjoying. Would they ever leave the room?)
Dinner was in the fish restaurant after making our menu selections in the informal warmth of the lounge. A nice touch when we reached the table was the two small hors d’oeuvres to whet our appetites. Service was good and what they very occasionally lacked in professional finesse they made up for in attentiveness.
My starter was Japanese panko crusted goats cheese fritters with jam, pine nuts and rocket salad. My partner had Whitby crab, gravalax, potato, shallot and chive tian, salmon, pink grapefruit vinaigrette and salad. Both were excellent, well presented with a nice contrast in taste. For mains I had tarragon and white truffle crusted hake with parmesan and rocket risotto and shallots and my partner had Roast Cornish turbot fillet, tagliatelle of Venus clams and brown shrimp, white wine and garlic fresh pea shoots and pea oil. We loved both. You could tell that this is a restaurant that loves its fish. The wine and garlic cream gave the latter a nice body without it being too heavy and both mains were excellently presented with lovely flavours. The hake was fresh and though it’s very easy to over serve risotto, they got the quantity just right.
Looking forward to dessert I plumped for the ice cream brownie and my partner the stem ginger parfait, both of which were very good.
After retiring for the night we had the English breakfast that though didn’t quite match the fine dining of the night before, was still very welcome.
Overall The Heifer is highly recommended whether you fancy a few days retreat in exclusive and quirky surroundings or just booking a classy meal out. Even if you don’t think you’re a fish fan you can’t fail to be bowled over by the combination of flavours and styles in each dish which, combined with a stylish contemporary setting and excellent accommodation should put it on every foodie’s menu.
To book the Wensleydale Heifer call: 01969 622322 or visit: http://www.wensleydaleheifer.co.uk
A Maxim Gorky classic play, adapted by Andrew Upton, is a deep and philosophically driven piece set during a cholera epidemic, which works on many significant levels.
On the surface its comedic approach could be mistaken as a light hearted play, but below the surface lies a distinct feeling of danger – a narrative of fear which is explored through many conversations.
Protasov is longing to find the answer to all of life’s mysteries through scientific experimentation and research. He believes that the quest of life will be answered through science so he becomes immersed in his own ignorance; failing to acknowledge the significance of what is happening around him.
There is a superb collective of talent in this adaptation, with strong gestural performances and moments of intensity which breaks up the performance, constantly focussing it back to the deeper questions.
The stage set is the perfect backbone to the story, with a commendable attention to detail and realistic nature which helps one to engage on an additional level. Indeed the National Theatre is one of my all time favourite destinations, with its strong Brutalist architecture just asking for performance and drama. This is exactly what is delivered with ‘Children of the Sun’. A though-provoking and engaging play, highly recommended.
Treat yourself to some theatre this month at the National Theatre. Tickets range from £12-34 and Children of the Sun is on until Sunday 14th July 2013.
The title of his latest movie might be I’m So Excited but it left me singularly unexcited and unenthusiastic. I’ve never been so disengaged from an Almodovar film in my life and I’m still trying to work out what went wrong and why I found it so dreary. Was it the stilted dialogue, the wooden acting (even from Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, who put in a couple of cameos), or the implausible storyline? Well, to be honest, most Almodovar movies have somewhat implausible and surreal plots, and that’s never bothered me before. In fact, that’s part of their charm.
The film is billed as a comedy, but, apart from a few isolated one liners, I found it distinctly unfunny. Maybe the humour was dissipated by my having to read the subtitles (I don’t speak Spanish), but I’ve never found language to be a bar in previous Almodovar movies. The fact that the majority of this movie takes place within the confines of the business section and cockpit of a plane certainly doesn’t help, and, because of this, nowhere is there the kind of visual richness normally experienced in one of his movies. In addition, I found the camp antics and stereotypical behaviour of the all gay air stewards rather insulting. Haven’t we moved on from this kind of camperie? Honestly they could have been played by Liberace, Larry Grayson and John Inman and you wouldn’t have noticed the difference.
I’m guessing the film is an allegory, the plane being a metaphor for the disastrous Spanish economy, the somnolent economy class passengers being representative of the majority of the populace, who are kept in the dark about what’s going on, whilst the ruling classes, in business class, run around like headless chickens, but I could be wrong and, quite honestly, I don’t really care. It is just one big self-indulgent bore, naïve and badly executed. Unless you’re particularly partial to watching undragged up drag queens mime to the Pointer Sisters, then I’d say avoid.
Available to buy / view on: Amazon | Amazon Prime | iTunes
A superb collection of intimate autobiographical stories on what it was like growing up being gay and the pain of suppression. Somehow it seems more sincere coming from elderly people with incredibly fascinating memories to share. It was so easy to become affectionate towards these unashamed individuals and their lives.
The film uses a collection of personal photographs and home footage to reveal the memories. At intervals the exceptional cinematography oozed of beauty.
Although these individuals grew up in a different society as what we live in today, it is still touching to hear similar experiences of growing up being gay, and in particular, other peoples reactions to being gay. Some came from a time where it was scandalous to even claim to be proud of being gay.
This film really made me think. It reminded me of the importance of acceptance in others, and acceptance in oneself. It made me proud to be part of a community of shared experience. But most of all it made me proud that a film has been lovingly and unpretentiously made which is honest and real. The highlight of the film festival so far.
Outstanding